Young Justice Season 3: Paradise
by Young Justice Season 3
Summary: The third episode written by the Young Justice: Season 3 group on tumblr (youngjustice-season3). Updated every other Sunday. (Summary to be posted eventually)


_**GOTHAM CITY**_  
_**July 16, 23:06 EST**_

Darkness. The sounds of the busy city mingling together; cars honking in the dead of night, sirens of police cars and ambulances, everything mixed together and forming one big sound. Loud; everything seemed to be so loud at the moment. Of course, that was hardly a surprise - it was Gotham, after all.

In the dead of night, blue eyes overlooked Gotham's Harbor with utmost boredom, waiting for some form of miracle to happen. Waited… waited… waited, but nothing came. The figure sighed, eyes falling on the pavement below his feet before he turned away from the water and slowly made his way back home. Still, the darkness remained untouched. Everything looked absolutely peaceful, there seemed to be no chance of anything miraculous happening; at least, nothing good.

Then, a light shined in the sky, something unusual for a city without stars. A meteor? Or maybe a shooting star? It seemed to be getting closer and closer with every passing second, brighter and brighter. The water seemed to shimmer with the reflection of the glowing light - no, not a light; an object.

The impact was almost immediate as water splashed in every direction, making Gotham's Harbor a place of chaos.

It didn't last long, yet the impact was strong enough to sink and destroy any and all object around it. Remnants of boats littered the waters, sails and other objects alike were scattered all across in the now calm water as if waiting for something bigger to happen.

Lights flashed over the Harbor, the sounds of helicopter blades whipping through the silence as air clashed against the water in an attempt to find the source of the crash. Even as they seemed to find nothing, the lights continued to shine overhead as if expecting something to just pop out and beckon for them to capture it on film.

They were severely disappointed.

Yards away, at the edge of the water, a figure dragged itself out and onto dry land. Blond strands of hair clung to the girl's face as she pulled herself up by her arms, barely managing to crawl into a decent sitting position as she looked around in exhaustion - and in confusion.

The girl rubbed at her eyes, taking a moment to regain her composure before lifting herself up to her feet. Noticing the lights in the distance, she paused and weighed the options that stood before her. Then, she made a split second decision, turned and began walking in the opposite direction. Her feet padded against softly against the cement, the woman barely felt the cool wind hitting her exposed skin as she departed from the Harbor.

The only change in her expression occurred when she walked deeper into the city, eyebrows furrowed as she ignored the loudness of the entire area. It seemed bearable, yet a nuisance to her extremely sensitive ears. So many sounds; screams, yells, laughter… everything seemed so strange to her. Yet, even stranger was the fact that what called to her attention were the screams; pleas for help, she recognized.

Through alleys and darkened streets, the girl managed to find her way to the source of the sound. Her eyes saw three figures; two men and one woman. One of the men stood protectively over the woman who huddled in the corner, cowering, as the other man stood directly in front of them with a gun in his grasp.

A startled sound left her lips, loud enough to attract their attention. She remained rooted to the same spot as they turned to her, shocked expressions on their faces as they noted that she was wearing nothing to cover herself.

"Hey, mind your own busine-" The man with the gun began, eyes narrowed as he started towards the girl with his weapon pointed towards her. Unable to finish his sentence, as soon as he was arm's length away from the blonde, she shoved him as hard as she could.

No one's expression of shock quite matched hers as she watched the man be thrown past the couple and into a brick wall.

She stifled a gasp, taking a step back in shock as she watched his head loll to the side as he drifted into unconsciousness. As he groaned, she let her eyes flutter towards the couple that now stood looking at her warily - still cowering in fear. But not it seemed to be fear of her, and no longer because of the man.

"P-please, don't hurt us." The cowering man pleaded, taking off his coat and throwing it in her general direction before wrapping an arm around the woman at his side. "Take it, we have nothing more. Just, please…"

The blonde looked down at the object, unable to form words. For what seemed like an eternity, she stared down in confusion and fear. She stood still, glancing once at the couple before her hand reached out for the coat and she took it in her grasp. Her fingers clutched the fabric tightly against her body before she turned and took off.

This time, she didn't bother to slow down. She didn't bother to listen to the sounds of the city, or pay close attention to the buildings that towered over her. Unaware of what it was that was happening to her, or where exactly it was that she was, the alien girl didn't feel like bothering to stick around to find out.

* * *

_**WATCHTOWER**_  
_**July 16, 23:56 EST**_

She had never seen anything more amazing in her entire life. Eyes trailed over object after object excitedly as she took in her surroundings, having to resist the urge to jump up and down in excitement and squeal at the sight. Cissie King-Jones couldn't believe that what she was experiencing was actually real.

Her fingers clutched the bow in her hand tightly, afraid that if she let it go she'd wake up to find that it was just a dream. But it wasn't a dream, and that was what made everything so much more amazing. The newest team member was sure that her 'mentor' was probably grinning at her, also aware that she probably looked like a kid in a candy store.

"This is amazing." She whispered in awe, glancing from one costume-clad figure to the next. They all smiled at her, and for some reason they just all seemed so much more cooler in person. How was she supposed to contain her excitement when she was one of themnow? "You're all so amazing, oh my goodness! I can't believe I actually get to meet all of you, how cool!"

"Calm down, Arrowette." Tigress was the first to say something, stepping up beside the newly costumed girl as she continued to glance back and forth at everything and everyone. She smiled, and gave Cissie's shoulder a small squeeze that caused the girl to glance back up at her. "It's your first mission, no need to lose your cool. You're lucky we're letting out into the real world this early, so just take a breath and relax."

The archer nodded, breathing deeply and coughing out as she swallowed a little too much air before smiling sheepishly back up at everyone else. "Right, relax. I got it." She nodded nonchalantly, sending a quick glance towards the Amazon that seemed to be in her own little world; on monitor duty. "Is that.." Cissie whispered to Tigress, once more having to resist the urge to squeal.

The blonde simply nodded, gave the girl's shoulder a small pat, and turned to stand beside her fellow teammates again. Almost as quickly as she'd moved, a blurr invaded Arrowette's space. She took a step back, eyes widening before she managed to regain her balance and keep from falling. "Whoa!" The girl gasped out in shock.

"Hey there," Said blurr greeted with a cheery smile. Bart Allen AKA Kid Flash held his hand out for the girl to shake. "Resident speedster, Kid Flash, how's it hanging?" Trying not to look too freaked out, the archer took his hand and shook it.

"It's hanging fine," She replied hesitantly, not really sure what else to say. Her eyes traveled back to Tigress, who only offered her a small smile that Cissie was not able to read, before she smiled at the speedster with an equally cheery attitude. "I'm Arrowette, in case it wasn't obvious."

Bart grinned, taking a step back. "It was actually."

"I think there'll be plenty of time to get to know each other later." A loud voice interrupted, causing everyone to turn and look at Batman. The man only gave a nod in acknowledgment to the girl before turning to Diana and the monitors in front of her face. If Cissie wasn't already stunned, watching as the image expanded in front of their faces.

"Is that-"

"Atlantis." Bart finished for her, giving off a low whistle as he looked over the image. "So, that's our mission? Land tends more up my alley, but I can work with it."

Cissie's eyes widened immediately. "Wait, what? I don't do water, I don't even know how to swim!" She head whirled towards Tigress as she continued, motioning towards herself with her hand. "And I can't breathe underwater. And the pressure would crush us both!"

"You'll be fine, Cissie." Tigress assured her, coming to Batman's side. She gestured towards the monitor with a flick of her wrist, sighing. "You're only there to do recon. No actual fighting, okay? And for the pressure, well… we have Zatanna for that. She'll cast a spell to protect you."

The girl opened her mouth to protest again, but was cut short by a look that the Dark Knight gave her. Instead, she remained quiet and nodded softly; motioning for them to continue. Beside her, the speedster did the same thing as he crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

"This is Poseidonis, tension has been rising in Conservatory of Sorcery. A few years back Ocean Master led a group of purists who wanted to cleanse Atlantis of any 'impure' beings. Now they've resurfaced again, but we aren't sure if they have made new allies." From the corner of her eye, Cissie could make out the grimace that formed on Kaldur'ahm's face as he heard Batman's words. "Your mission is to go to Atlantis, assess the situation and return to the Watchtower with the information you collect. Tempest will be meeting you there."

The archer nodded, despite being unsure of who it was that 'Tempest' was; she assumed she'd find out soon enough. Unlike her, the speedster didn't keep his mouth shut. "Is Kaldur coming with us?" He asked curiously, glancing back at the Atlantean.

"I am not." He replied for the Bat, looking towards the rest of the team and shaking his head. "The rest of us have more pressing matters to attend to, but we are sure that you are capable of handling this on your own. Visiting my home shall have to wait until another day."

Tigress nodded in agreement, giving Arrowette an encouraging smile that didn't seem to meet her eyes. She glanced at Bart once, before sighing and turning away. "Good luck you two."

Despite the nervousness that gripped at the young girl, she smiled and nodded at her mentor. "Thanks, but I don't think we'll need it."

* * *

_**GOTHAM CITY**_  
_**July 17, 2:38 EST**_

"I know what I'm doing! We all know I'm the one with the best chance of finding her, just stay put and wait for me. Got it?"

"Conn-" The martian girl began, reaching her hand out towards him hesitantly. Before she could say another word, the Kryptonian jumped off of the bio-ship and silently landed on the edge of the Harbor. Water splashed softly against his boots, something that went unnoticed by him, and he started to move towards the city silently - eyes peeled for anything that might resemble what he was looking for.

Behind him, the wreck that was Gotham Harbor was still present as people continued to figure out what had caused the crash. But at that point, everyone knew what was the real reason as to why the Harbor was destroyed.

"Superboy, M'gann is doing a search of the area. If she finds anything, we will contact you."Aqualad's voice rang in his head as he paused to look around. In the dark, the raven haired teen could faintly make out a trail of water that stretched out and continued in front of him. Eyes narrowed, he made his way down the trail in hopes of finding something that could help him find the culprit.

"Superboy?" The atlantean's voice asked again, after Conner said nothing in reply.

He stopped, eyes widening slightly as he noticed a human-shaped dent on the wall. "Fine, got it." His eyes searched the area, finding that there was nothing there. As he turned to walk away, his foot knocked against something and caused it to slide away a few feet.

Looking down, he noticed that the object was a gun.

"I think there was a fight, and someone was obviously stronger than they realized."Superboy picked up the weapon, knowing full well that if he left it there someone else would surely find it. Knowing he couldn't risk that, he crushed the thing in his palm before throwing it aside - now completely useless.

What sounded like a gasp invaded his mind as he started towards the city again. "Superboy I found her!" M'gann's voice announced, sounding stunned as the Kryptonian stopped in his tracks and waited for her to tell him where. He wasn't disappointed when she provided an image in his head, one of the girl they were tracking and the place where he knew she'd be found.

"I'll meet you there."

"Agreed."

With that, he leaped into the air and landed on a rooftop. His eyes scanned the area, looking for something remotely close to what he had been shown. He spotted the building, then took off in its direction once more. When he reached it, he sprinted off the edge and landed in front of the seemingly abandoned building silently.

He didn't have to look up to know that the bio-ship was already there, flying overhead and shielded from anyone's view. This knowledge was confirmed when his remaining teammates exited and landed down next to him, all four of them giving him once quick glance before their sights set on the building. "This is it?" Wonder Girl asked with disdain, her nose scrunching up as she examined it. "If we get in a fight, that thing will come down for sure."

"Then let's not get in a fight." The Blue Beetle replied before anyone else could. "From the damage she caused, I'm pretty sure she can take us all in her sleep anyways, hermana."

All of them silently agreed.

"Let's just get this over with." Grunting, the Kryptonian teen started towards the building at a calm pace. He didn't get more than ten feet near the building before something heavy rammed into him, knocking him off balance and onto a nearby dumpster.

Everyone looked in shock at the figure, then looked even more shocked when they saw who it was. Right hair color, wrong blonde. "Brotha Tommy, I'm in tha mood for a rematch. What do ya say?" Tuppence Terror looked down at her nails in boredom, not even offering the others a glance.

"I couldn't agree with ya more, sista Tuppence." A blast from the Blue Beetle was aimed at the blonde, only for him to be knocked sideways by a strong blast of ice. As Coner got back up, he was quickly lifted up and thrown against Wonder Girl by the male twin.

Miss Martian focused her telepathy on Tuppence, managing to lift the woman off her feet and against the pavement below. The blonde didn't see it coming, body clashing against cement and leaving a crater beneath her when she tried to get to her feet again. "You'll pay for that, martian." She hissed between her teeth as she started forward.

Unfazed, the martian watched her come closer and waited before she was only feet away before replying in the simplest tone. "I doubt it." She smiled, though it didn't seem as malicious as one of the Terror twin's twisted smirks, and again used her powers on the woman; throwing her against her twin brother.

Tommy Terror, who had been taking on both Wonder Girl and Superboy, barely had enough time to recognize his sister flying into him before they were both on the floor in a heap of twisted limbs. The only one standing being Icicle Jr now, he made sure to render Blue Beetle immobile as he shot a blast at the hero and encased him in a block of ice. It took him a moment to look back at his teammates before he groaned softly. "Oh boy," Was the only thing he said as he turned back to his remaining opponents.

"Give it up, Junior." Heads turned towards Tigress, watching as she aimed her crossbow at him calmly. Her expression never wavered, not in the slightest bit. "It's over, the fight is done here."

"I bet you'd like that Tigress, or do you go by a different name now? Seeing as you were never really on our side to begin with." The ice villain sneered, before quickly shaking his head and lifting his hand up to eye level; ready to shoot a blast of ice at her too if necessary. "No one here is going down without a fight, especially me."

With everyone's attention turned towards the two of them and prepared to attack the lone enemy, no one noticed as Tommy and Tuppence got to their feet again. They glanced at each-other once, making a silent agreement before nodding softly as matching grins overtook their lips.

The woman stood up, cracking her knuckles before rushing Conner from behind. Superboy noticed this from the corner of his eye, having faintly heard the movement; when she attacked he was ready to counter.

Tommy took another approach, using his sister's distraction with the Kryptonian to go after M'gann. A second after Tuppence went after Conner, he tackled the martian to the ground and although he had noticed the attack, Miss Martian had not.

As the others rushed to help and Tommy's fist neared the martian's face, she quickly disappeared beneath the cement and away from the brute. Knuckles met with concrete, and the twin looked around in surprise and outrage. "What the…" He growled, looking around frantically for the girl.

"Over here, dummy!"

He felt something coil around his neck moments before he was yanked back into the dumpster his twin had previously thrown Conner into. The Amazon's protege looked at him with a smug expression on her face as she hovered inches above the ground, lasso gripped tightly in her grasp as she looked at him. His hand moved to the end of the lasso wrapped around his neck, and he gave her a similar smug look as he yanked hard.

Cassie was pulled towards him with unexpected speed, and her eyes widened as he grabbed her by the hair and shoved her against the dumpster. She groaned, trying to break free while ignoring the horrid smell that the dumpster emitted. His grip was strong, yet she continued to struggle against his hold.

"Who's the dummy now, girly?"

"Still you." She hissed. Her wrist found it's way out of his grasp. That was the only thing she needed, in one swift movement her knuckles met his jaw and the force was enough to throw him back a few feet.

Across from the, Tigress evaded every attack that Junior made. He attacked and she countered, trying her best not to become a popsicle because of him. She aimed her crossbow at his leg, fully intent on wounding him to the point where he couldn't fight back. Her finger pressed the trigger, and the arrow shot out with speed and accuracy.

The arrow only managed to graze the man's leg as he spun out of the way, aiming a icicle at her weapon and grimacing as he touched his wound. "You shot me!" He screamed at her in disbelief, eyes wide and staring straight at her.

Tigress looked at him with a vacant expression, not daring to show any emotion. "I know," She replied simply, dropping her now useless weapon to the ground. "I don't care." The woman smiled sweetly before lifting her leg up and digging the heel of her boot against his chest while kicking with all of her strength.

Caught by surprise, the ice villain reeled back in shock. He fell face first onto the pavement and, thankfully, didn't get up immediately.

By that point, Jaime had found a way to break out of the ice that held him prisoner and worked on helping Conner keep the female Terror subdued. They had her surrounded with nowhere to run, although they knew that she wouldn't. The three of them were similar and would never back down from a fight, and there was no way she'd leave without her brother.

A few feet away, M'gann and Cassie took care of Tommy Terror. It was a struggle, but they too had the upper hand against him. The vilains were losing, and fast.

Then they saw red. Literally.

In the center of the fight, a large portal beckoned for them to give their attention. Out of it, the Lord Of Chaos emerged with a telltale smirk enveloping his sharp features. "Greetings," Was all he said before the fight began anew.

The Terror Twins took the distraction as an opportunity to fight back, simultaneously sending a hook to one of their opponents jaw before attacking the other immediately.

In took only a moment for Miss Martian to stop thinking about the fight and start noticing the curious mind that seemed unfamiliar to her. She glanced up, able to only see a shadow of a figure inside the broken down building. But one look was enough, and she'd seen her; they'd both seen each other.

Until the presence seemed to fade, and Megan knew that the girl was no longer in the building. She'd fled the scene. Again.

Then the pain hit the martian before realization did. One blast from Klarion was enough to make her go flying, flying, flying until she was no longer with the others and on a, busy street of Gotham instead. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of someone screaming her name, their voice laced with worry.

"I'm okay, Conner." She insisted, lifting herself off the cold hard ground. As she looked around, she noticed that people who walked in the dead of night turned and stared at her. Some looked shocked, others looked intrigued. She tried to pay them no mind, groaning softly as she got to her feet.

M'gann sidestepped as another of her teammates was thrown in her general direction. She lifted her arms up, stopping Tigress in mid-air before she could fall and possibly hurt herself. Making sure to safely put her down, the martian turned back to the witch boy. "Klarion." She spoke calmly, waiting for him to direct his attention at her once more.

"Martian," He greeted cheerily, stepping out of the dark and into the street. A malicious grin remained on his lips as he walked forward and stopped only when he was in front of her; barely a few feet away. He watched in amusement as she clenched her fists, eyes beginning to glow white.

When she attacked, so did he.

* * *

_**POSEIDONIS **_  
_**July 17, 3:56 EST **_

"We aren't going to get anything done if you keep sightseeing, you know."

Cissie was immediately snapped out of her trance, confused eyes looking back at the speedster as she turned to him. Behind the handy rebreathers they both wore, the girl could make out his smiling face. Although his words seemed stifled, she could still perfectly make them out.

He was teasing her, she realized. "I know, but everything's just so beautiful." The archer finally replied with a deep sigh, glancing around once more before trailing after him as they swam around the city.

Like the League said, Tempest had been there to meet them. Now they followed after him as he assessed the situation. Cissie, of course, just couldn't help but be lost in the beauty of it all. Bart on the other hand seemed to soak up every word that the atlantean said. But now he was with her, again, and ignoring Garth as he continued to speak.

Surely they'd be paying attention again before he noticed how absent they'd become.

"The purists haven't been around much lately, and if they are we can't be sure who is with them and who isn't. Queen Mera and I have been keeping a close eye on everyone, but there is only so much either of us can do. They're good, and they know how to cover their tracks. Any attacks that have happened lately on 'impure atlanteans' left no possible trace of a suspect, but it's nothing the League has to interfere with…"

"Then why did they send us here?" Cissie asked him, finally bringing herself to at least partially pay attention to the man. When she realized how rude she'd sounded, she quickly covered it up with a sheepish smile. "I mean, it looks like you guys have everything handled but…"

He paused, looking at her carefully. Then, without another word, he shrugged and turned back towards the city as he continued to swim away. "Like I said, no reason for them to interfere. But if you would like to stick around and tour the place there is nothing wrong with that."

Cissie nodded, though she wasn't sure what she really had to say about that. Bart, however, was a different story. He couldn't seem to ever keep quiet, but the archer figured that that must have something to do with the fact that he was a speedster.

"They probably just wanted to keep us busy, but make us feel like we're important. Ya know?" He spoke up after Garth was out of earshot, having left the two of them alone. Cissie wasn't sure if she minded, or if she really really minded being alone with Bart. But what he said did seem to make sense, so she nodded.

As she continued to swim after Garth, she couldn't keep the doubt from seeping into her words. "Artemis wouldn't have let that happen, she was the one who added me to the team."

His snort made her feel personally insulted, and the fact that he said nothing as they approached made her feel even worse about it.

"You got something to say about her?"

"You bet I do."

She arched an eyebrow, curiously turning back to him. His mouth was set in a thin line, and that only made her all the more curious about what it was he was thinking. "Then spill." Cissie replied simply, hand against her hip as they both simply floated in the water; the girl waiting for him to explain something that she actually wanted to hear for once.

"You do know what happened to the first Kid Flash, right?" He asked curiously, pointing on the symbol on his chest for emphasis.

The girl shook her head, she hadn't even remembered that there'd been another Kid Flash before Bart. "What does that have to do with Tigress?"

Bart looked at her in bewilderment, before he slapped his palm against his forehead and groaned. "Everything. Look, it's a long story." He warned as he met her eyes.

Arrowette, however, felt like the story had some kind of importance behind it. Especially if it involved her mentor. "I got time."

* * *

WATCHTOWER  
July 17, 4:38 EST

Everyone in the League knew that when the footage of the team fighting Klarion went viral there would be nothing but trouble coming out of it. What had started out as a semi-covert mission had quickly turned into something that none of them had expected. Still, no one had interfered; it wasn't a League priority, this mission belonged to the team and no one else.

Diana and Clark, however, knew that if nothing could be done to help them then the only thing there was to do was wait and monitor everything from their base.

"They're in trouble." The Amazon commented softly, eyes never leaving the team. Even as they worked together, she noticed that they were lacking in skill and the enemy had the advantage. "Where is Kaldur'ahm?" She suddenly voiced her thoughts, tone harsher than she intended to make it.

Clark noticed the atlantean's absence as well, and shook his head softly as he watched the battle with an unreadable expression. "He must still be on the bio-ship. If things continue progress as this rate, he'll be joining in with the others shortly."

She seemed to accept that as an answer, and instead sighed as she saw that Clark was right. A few moments later, Aqualad joined the rest of his teammates in their battle. Yet the Amazon knew that with another player the odds were still not in their favor. "Klarion hasn't been heard of in months, why is it that he resurfaces now?"

Although the question was rhetorical, the Kryptonian felt the need to answer it for her; maybe just to calm her nerves — or to try at least; he, along with everyone else, knew how hard it was to calm an Amazon down once she was riled up. "The Light must be rebuilding, it's the only logical explanation."

"There's another." Diana replied again, crossing her arms as she sparred Clark a glance. "They can't afford to lose the girl. Whoever, or whatever, she is."

From the look that crossed the Kryptonian's face, she knew that there was more to it than met the eye. Her attention turned back to the monitors, before she shook her head and let her hands fall back to her side. The woman reached up to her ear, fingers pressing against her comm-link as she spoke almost to herself again.

"We have to tell Batman. They need back-up, now."

He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, before softly shaking his head. "No amount of help is going to do them any good. Klarion is a Lord of Chaos after all." Clark tried to reason with her; after all, he was right and Diana knew it as well.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" She asked carefully, looking at him as if he'd grown a second head. But, after a few moments, she decided to listen to him and removed her finger from her ear as she waited for an explanation from her best friend. "If the League doesn't get involved, both Klarion and that girl are going to get away. We can't just stand around and watch, Kal-El, not when the team's lives are at stake."

"I have an idea, Diana." The Kryptonian reassured with a small smile, taking his hand off of her shoulder as he turned towards the zeta-beam.

_Recognized: Superman, 01._

By the time Diana had opened her mouth to ask what his idea was, the computer was already announcing his departure. She suppressed a groan, watching as he left with a bright flash and returned to monitoring the battle. "May your idea work, Kal-El." The Amazon whispered, knowing that she didn't need to pray to the Gods to know that he'd find a way to help.

* * *

_**GOTHAM CITY**_  
_**July 17, 4:46 EST**_

From above, the image of chaos seemed almost beautiful. Half crushed buildings, wrecked cars, and everything in between littered the now mostly deserted street that the heroes and villains had claimed as their battlegrounds. Car alarms sounded in the distance, helicopters zoomed overhead as they tried to get even more footage of the damage that was brought onto Gotham by the metahumans.

Only one person seemed to notice none of those things. Perched atop a very tall building, the blonde girl didn't focus on the sounds of the fight itself. Her ears strained to hear the sounds of the rapid heartbeats of those who fought against each-other. Every breath they took, every grunt they made as knuckles met skin and skin met concrete was available for her to take in.

She wasn't scared, not of them anyways.

As much as she knew that they were too busy to worry about her at the moment, she understood that she was likely the reason that they were fighting. She wasn't scared, just… very confused; about anything and everything. Maybe when they stopped fighting, she could finally get the answers she was looking for.

It had surprised her — to realize that she could understand what these strangers were saying. Even from that far of a distance, her ears picked up every single sound and that included their taunts. They had been fighting for a while, and never had her eyes left them or strayed elsewhere. The girl knew just from watching who was working with who and who it was that was winning.

Of course, from where she stood things seemed so much more calm than they actually were. She didn't understand who they were, or what power they held over the current planet she had stumbled upon. All she knew was that they were brutal, and the ones she found herself rooting for were losing to their enemy. The thought itself made her sad; that she was rooting for someone and that they had to fight when she knew nothing of why that was.

"It's interesting, isn't it?"

The voice startled her, making her jump slightly. As she turned around she was met face to face with someone that looked much more familiar than she would have expected. More surprising was the fact that she knew that he was speaking was not a language native to the planet they stood upon.

He watched her, and she looked back at him with equal intensity. When his gaze traveled to her feet, she couldn't help but look down too. The shock was well written on her face as she noticed that her feet were not touching the ground and she panicked before landing on the rooftop the instant that she wished to do so.

This finding seemed enough for the man, and he looked back up to meet her eyes again. "You're Kryptonian," He spoke again in the language that she knew best.

"Yes."

He paused for a beat, then offered her a kind smile. "What is your name?"

"Kara." The blonde replied with hesitation, yet never looked away as she continued to meet his gaze. "Kara Zor-El."

Kal-El couldn't hide his surprise as he continued to stare at her. "You're from the House of El?" Again, she nodded and watched as his expression of surprise turned to one of astonishment. "I am Kal-El," this time when he spoke there was no hesitation and, if it were possible, his smile grew.

"Kal-El?" The frown etched on her lips twitched as recognition set in her features. "Son of Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van. Nephew to Zor-El. My cousin." She smiled, before enveloping in a bone-crushing hug.

Clark was momentarily confused, but he quickly returned the hug. Then sounds of the fight below brought him back to his senses, and he pulled away to glance down at the nearly destroyed street. From the look that once more crossed the girl's features, he could guess that she heard it too.

"They're getting hurt." The Kryptonian whispered softly, aware that she could hear every word he was saying.

She nodded, the coat wrapped tightly around her body as she looked down at what he saw. "You know them, don't you?"

Kal-El gave her a small smile, lifting up into the air and stretching his hand out towards her as an offering. When she seemed reluctant to take it, he spoke up again. "I think there's something I can do, but I'll need your help, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen, I promise."

Kara looked into his eyes, paid close attention to the way his lips curved as he made that promise, and for some reason when she saw his hand again she couldn't help but reach out and take it.

After all, he did promise.

* * *

Her head was spinning as she got to her feet.

Tigress could hear the ringing in her ears as she glanced around herself, eyes taking notice of everything that happened all at once. Conner and Tommy fighting it out one-on-one as Wonder Girl was stuck in a similar situation with the other Terror Twin. By that point, Junior seemed to have gotten over the fact that she had wounded him and had began attacking her fellow martian teammate with as much force and brutality as possible. Blue Beetle and Aqualad both took on Klarion, barely managing to hold their own as the witch boy seemed to know when and where they were going to strike next.

She would have immediately returned to the fight, if it weren't for the blood that she as she brought her fingers to the back of her head — where she'd hit her head against the sidewalk only moments earlier. The blonde's head was spinning, and even if she could keep herself in the fight she doubted she'd be much help.

Thankfully, only a few seconds after she decided that she was too out of it to fight properly, she noticed the two figures that quickly approached from above. One of them a sight that only brought relief and a sense of hope.

The others noticed almost as quickly as she did. Wonder Girl, who now held Tuppence in a headlock, immediately set her free and let her break away as Superman's figure set down in the center of the fight. The Terror didn't hide her disdain as she moved towards the witch boy and away from the Amazon's protege.

"Superman." Conner spoke in a gruff tone as he glanced warily behind him, being the first to notice the girl that hid behind the Kryptonian's towering figure.

Klarion, the Terror Twins and Icicle Jr only watched as the others seemed to band together and momentarily forgot about them as they focused more on the girl. It wasn't until the Lord of Chaos spoke up that they turned, half a second too late as a portal opened up behind their figures. "Until next time, Justice Brats."

Both Conner and M'gann moved forward to stop them, only to reach them right as they stepped into the portal and it vaporized before their very eyes.

The clone clenched his fists, growling softly in resignation as Superman put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Superboy turned around to look back at him, before Clark gestured to the girl that wore only a coat over her body to keep herself covered. Conner watched her with a mixture of confusion and caution, then looked at Clark as if waiting for an explanation.

"Kon," He began, motioning for Kara to step forward so they could both greet each other. "I'd like you to meet Kara Zor-El. Our cousin."


End file.
